USAID partners with the government to strengthen the judiciary
View(s):Sri Lanka’s judicial institutions have been weakened by several years of authoritarian governance of the previous regime and the recent political impasse violating the Constitution, legal professionals alleged.
Since coming to power in 2015, the government has publicly committed to reforming the justice system and strengthening the rule of law but no action has been taken to accelerate judicial reforms, they said.
Under these circumstances, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has stepped into assist the Ministry of Justice develop strategies to strengthen judicial integrity and capacity and improve court administration, better serving the needs of the people, Justice Ministry sources said.
USAID is working with the Justice Ministry, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), the Legal Aid Commission (LAC), provincial bar associations, educational and research institutions, and key NGOs towards this end.
To modernise Sri Lanka’s judicial system, the USAID Coherent, Open, Responsive, And Effective Justice Programme (CORE Justice) is now improving the performance of core justice institutions and all associates, a senior official of the ministry said.
This programme is one of several new initiatives of the USAID being implemented in Sri Lanka with a financial allocation of more than Rs. 4.5 billion to advance youth employability, rule of law, and reconciliation in the country.
Working alongside key stakeholders in the judiciary, government, legal profession, and civil society, the programme helps Sri Lankans regain confidence in the justice system’s ability to resolve disputes and remedy human rights violations, he added.
In turn, the government is meeting the ever-growing demands of society as it transitions from conflict to a more open, democratic, and peaceful one after the end of the Northeast conflict, he revealed.
According to the project proposal, one of the main aims of CORE Justice is to strengthen the effectiveness of core justice institutions, processes, and associates so they can effectively exercise their powers and fulfill their respective competencies
Another objective is to improve the justice system’s transparency and citizen engagement by increasing public awareness of their work, enhancing trust in their processes and decisions, and garnering public support for their institutional needs.
The ongoing modernisation programme will also enhance the governance, qualifications, and diversity of the Sri Lankan legal profession and it is intended to deliver a justice system “fit for the future”, the ministry official said.